Ripped it and double-dipped it up North on the Michigan side on Monday, cruised up with my bro Jimbo .......water was soooooo damn warm, bout 75 and clear as a bell!!!!!!!!!! Lit 9m, overhead waves, shoreline skimming and bottom turnin' on tangerine colored waters as the summer sun reflected off the dunes and melted into the horizon; simply spectacular....... tagged another short downwinder from Sleeping Bear Dunes the following day, a bit light on the NW but with incredible scenery and those warm waters lapping the sand..........smoked whitefish, sweet cherries, pickled asparagus firestix, organic yellow squash; oh yeah PURE MICHIGAN!!!!

Props to Annie, Rorke's wife who did the downwinder on Monday with us, OUTSTANDING DISPLAY......

The roadtrips always have some non-kiting related highlights, and this one was no different. The lavender pinwheel and mosaic herb garden at Cherry Point by LSP is spellbinding; the lavender was in full-bloom as was the herb garden, and the aromas were intoxicating. The herb garden under the wooden circular trellis was divided into many sections separated by rock formations and pathways: medicinal, biblical, aromatic, stress relief, dyes, insecticide, ornamental, etc......I decided to walk through the garden and "sniff" somewhere in the neiborhood of 30 different herbs, some of which I had never seen or heard of before (raspberry sage, rue, varigated oregano, lime thyme, just to name a few) it was a sensory overload!!!

Another cool thing about the trip was our day 2 downwinder. We hiked the beach for about 3 miles from Empire up to the base of Sleeping Bear Dunes, and though quite a walk, it was well worth the trek. Rigging at the base of the dunes with the Manitou Islands in the distance was awesome....the wind was a bit light, but plenty for a scenic downwind jaunt!!

Remember there's more to the killer "kiting" roadtrip than just the kiting, take the time to enjoy the beauty of Lake Michigan and the surrounding areas, and the bounty of the summer harvests........

Wow, West, it is so refreshing... so far I've heard kiters discussing just one herb Seriously, thanks for the tip - I'm taking my daughter on a road trip around Lake Michigan soon, and will make sure to stop there!